Freedom of design, mass customisation, waste minimisation and the ability to manufacture complex structures, as well as fast prototyping, are the main benefits of additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing. A comprehensive review of the main 3D printing methods, materials and their development in trending applications was carried out. In particular, the revolutionary applications of AM in biomedical, aerospace, buildings and protective structures were discussed. The current state of materials development, including metal alloys, polymer composites, ceramics and concrete, was presented. In addition, this paper discussed the main processing challenges with void formation, anisotropic behaviour, the limitation of computer design and layer-by-layer appearance. Overall, this paper gives an overview of 3D printing, including a survey on its benefits and drawbacks as a benchmark for future research and development.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing): A review of materials, methods, applications and challenges

Additive manufacturing (AM) alias 3D printing translates computer-aided design (CAD) virtual 3D models into physical objects. By digital slicing of CAD, 3D scan, or tomography data, AM builds objects layer by layer without the need for molds or machining. AM enables decentralized fabrication of customized objects on demand by exploiting digital information storage and retrieval via the Internet. The ongoing transition from rapid prototyping to rapid manufacturing prompts new challenges for mechanical engineers and materials scientists alike. Because polymers are by far the most utilized class of materials for AM, this Review focuses on polymer processing and the development of polymers and advanced polymer systems specifically for AM. AM techniques covered include vat photopolymerization (stereolithography), powder bed fusion (SLS), material and binder jetting (inkjet and aerosol 3D printing), sheet lamination (LOM), extrusion (FDM, 3D dispensing, 3D fiber deposition, and 3D plotting), and 3D bioprinting....

Polymers for 3D Printing and Customized Additive Manufacturing

A new chapter in pharmaceutical manufacturing: 3D-printed drug products.

Stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printing of oral modified-release dosage forms.

3D printing in pharmaceutics: A new tool for designing customized drug delivery systems

Effect of geometry on drug release from 3D printed tablets.

Fabrication of drug-loaded hydrogels with stereolithographic 3D printing.

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) permits the fabrication of tablets in shapes unattainable by powder compaction, and so the effects of geometry on drug release behavior is easily assessed. Here, tablets (printlets) comprising of paracetamol dispersed in polyethylene glycol were printed using stereolithographic 3D printing. A number of geometric shapes were produced (cube, disc, pyramid, sphere and torus) with either constant surface area (SA) or constant surface area/volume ratio (SA/V). Dissolution testing showed that printlets with constant SA/V ratio released drug at the same rate, while those with constant SA released drug at different rates. A series of tori with increasing SA/V ratio (from 0.5 to 2.4) were printed, and it was found that dissolution rate increased as the SA/V ratio increased. The data show that printlets can be fabricated in multiple shapes and that dissolution performance can be maintained if the SA/V ratio is constant or that dissolution performance of printlets can be fine-tuned by varying SA/V ratio. The results suggest that 3D printing is therefore a suitable manufacturing method for personalized dosage forms.

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Influence of Geometry on the Drug Release Profiles of Stereolithographic (SLA) 3D-Printed Tablets

Stereolithography (SLA) is an additive manufacturing technique that uses light as the source of energy. SLA 3D printing (3DP) was the first rapid prototyping method developed and perhaps the most popular due to its superior resolution and accuracy. Due to its versatility, SLA has been widely studied for its use in tissue engineering or in dentistry. In the pharmacoprinting field, SLA offers a great potential for fabricating complex drug delivery systems as well as approaching the need to manufacture personalised medicine. Despite this, research in the use of SLA 3DP in the pharmaceutical area is still limited. This chapter presents an overview of the fundamental science behind the photopolymerisation process and the SLA 3DP technologies available. A variety of its biomedical uses are presented. The multiple potential pharmaceutical applications and recent advances are reviewed, along with the advantages and limitations of this rapid prototyping technique for the manufacture of modern medicines.

The History, Developments and Opportunities of Stereolithography

Three-dimensional printing (3DP)provides the opportunity to personalise different dosage forms and therapeutic regimenwhere conventional manufacturing processes might not be applicable. Limitedwork has been done to investigate using 3DP for personalising hormonal intrauterinesystems (IUSs). The aim of this work was to prepare 3DP IUS containing progesteroneusing vat photopolymerisation (VPP) technique. The device was successfullyprinted and showed a slow release in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). VPP has theadvantages of better printing resolution producing smoother surfaces, and theelimination of the pre-printing process of hot melt extrusion (HME) needed for fuseddeposition modelling (FDM) method. To the author’s knowledge, this is the firstreport of using VPP for printing hormone-loaded IUSs.@font-face{font-family:"Cambria Math";panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:roman;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}@font-face{font-family:Calibri;panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;mso-font-charset:0;mso-generic-font-family:swiss;mso-font-pitch:variable;mso-font-signature:-469750017 -1073732485 9 0 511 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal{mso-style-unhide:no;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";margin-top:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:10.0pt;margin-left:0cm;line-height:115%;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}.MsoChpDefault{mso-style-type:export-only;mso-default-props:yes;font-size:10.0pt;mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-ascii-font-family:Arial;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-font-family:Arial;mso-bidi-font-family:Arial;}div.WordSection1{page:WordSection1;}

Pamela Robles Martinez

Papers

Effect of geometry on drug release from 3D printed tablets.

Fabrication of drug-loaded hydrogels with stereolithographic 3D printing.

Influence of Geometry on the Drug Release Profiles of Stereolithographic (SLA) 3D-Printed Tablets

The History, Developments and Opportunities of Stereolithography

3D Printing of Progesterone-Loaded Intrauterine System Using Vat Photopolymerisation